Vegetarian Series Review: Pepe's Veggie Mix Bistro

By Cory Kibler

You can’t talk about Pepe’s Bistro without first talking about the decor.  Located above the Against the Wall art gallery in Lincoln’s Havelock District, Pepe’s is essentially a one-room second-floor cafe that focuses on fresh vegetarian Mexican cuisine. 

When you climb the narrow staircase towards the restaurant, the first thing you see is a hallway straight ahead, filled with vintage cruiser bikes.  The dining room itself has a very informal, homey aura about it; each table is slightly different, the walls are painted in bright colors and there’s a velvet portrait of Elvis that hangs proudly. 

(A note: they did also have a patio for outdoor seating, but unfortunately, it was a little too hot outside for that). 

Since Pepe’s uses locally grown produce, the menu is small and changes daily.  On the evening I visited, the options included sweet-potato quesadillas, black bean tacos, a vegetarian burrito, and chile rellenos.  My wife and I opted to order both the chile rellenos and the vegetarian burrito, so that we could share each entrée. 

We ordered at the counter and then found a spot by the window. While we waited, my wife had the cucumber lemonade. Having tried a bit of it, I can say that it was not only refreshing, but the flavors were crisp and perfectly balanced.  Oftentimes lemonade can be too sweet or tart, and cucumbers can sometimes taste like filler.  In this beverage, the two ingredients complimented each other immaculately.   We also shared an order of chips and salsa.  While the salsa was fresh, robust and spicy, the chips seemed a bit chewy or stale.  If I had only one complaint about the entire experience, it would be that.

Our food was brought out soon after by the exceedingly friendly wait staff, and the food’s presentation was simple and artful, and made ample use of the gorgeous colors of the vegetables.  Each dish’s side consisted of rice topped with spicy black beans, as well as a small, bright salad topped with diced apple.  The diced apple was unorthodox, but it was an ideal foil for the spices in the rest of the dish.

And it was very spicy indeed.  The rellenos came with a warning: “Caliente!  Ouch!”  This was not an exaggeration. These chile rellenos were easily the spiciest Mexican food I’ve ever encountered, but the heat was wholly appropriate, as it served to enhance the other flavors of the dish.  The chiles were either very lightly battered or not battered at all and they were liberally topped with a red sauce that I presumed to be the source of the heat.

The vegetarian burrito had a milder spice to it and the beans and cheese within the burrito were bold and flavorful.  The tortilla was the perfect consistency and the burrito was plated with visually appealing ribbons of bright green vegetable sauce over it.  At no time was the food ever greasy and it was anything but bland.   

The real challenge for any vegetarian restaurant is to sway those who normally wouldn’t think of going to a restaurant where they couldn’t order a juicy steak or a grilled chicken filet.  Pepe’s goes above and beyond this obstacle. If you are a fan of fresh, authentic Mexican food, Pepe’s is the perfect option.

Pepe’s Bistro
6220 Havelock Ave
Lincoln, NE 68508  

(402) 466-9774